Trial Begins For Man Accused Of Living With Corpse

The evil stench emanating from the cheap Hollywood motel room had neighbors complaining.

The disappearance of 37-year-old Deane Davis had her mother in a panic.

When the manager went to room 7A at the Wilkirk Motel to collect the rent and investigate the stench, he found Thomas Tuer passed out cold. When police came soon after, they found a bloated, decomposing human body in a closet.

Tuer, 53, is accused of suffocating Davis and living with her corpse for a month.

If convicted, he faces a possible 30-year prison term. He rejected a plea offer of 15 years in prison.

Tuer's defense attorney Darryl Mitchell said his client may have been confused, drunk and panicked when he discovered Deane Davis' body in his room, but that there was no proof Tuer had caused her death.

Tuer's friend, Richard Warren, testified that Tuer visited him three days in a row in June 2007 and said Deane Davis was dead and he didn't know what to do.

Tuer said he wrestled with Deanne Davis because he thought she was too drunk to drive, Warren said. He held her down and she passed out, Tuer reportedly said. He napped and when he awoke, she didn't respond, Tuer's friend said he told him.

After the body was discovered, Tuer told police essentially the same thing.